Brit DAMIEN HIRST became the world's most expensive living artist on Thursday (21Jun07) after his contemporary work "Lullaby Spring" sold for an astonishing $19.2 million (£9.6 million).
The pill cabinet sold at London auction house Sotheby's, to an anonymous bidder, beating the record held for years by American Jasper Johns.
It marks a money-spinning week in the art world. Just a day earlier (21Jun07) Lucian Freud's portrait Bruce Bernard sold for $15.8 million (£7.9 million) making him briefly Europe's most expensive artist.
Robin Woodhead, chief executive of Sotheby's International, says, "This was the highest totaling week of sales London has ever seen - confirming beyond all doubt London's rapid ascent as a central hub in the art market. Bidding across the sales was truly global. New buyers locked horns with long-time collectors in a bid to secure top masterpieces."